Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 221

Chapter 221: Happy Ending(The End)

Two Months Later

The air buzzed with excitement and the sweet tension of final touches. Flowers were being arranged with meticulous care, photographers darted between rooms, and soft classical music drifted through the corridors of the estate where the wedding preparations were in full swing.

But amidst the flurry, something was wrong. In the dressing suite reserved for the bride, Emma Winters was nowhere to be seen and the four—Ivy, Claire, Margaret and Fiona— were all looking for her.

Claire burst into the room in a fitted blush gown, Ivy right behind her, holding her own heels in one hand and her phone in the other.

“She’s still not here?” Claire asked, eyes scanning the room in disbelief.

“No,” Ivy said quickly, anxiety blooming on her face. “She was here thirty minutes ago. I went to get the final bouquet and when I came back… she was gone.”

Claire exchanged a sharp look with Ivy, who immediately started typing a message on her phone.

“I’m texting Margaret,” Ivy muttered. “Maybe they’d seen her. It’s her wedding day and we can’t afford for anything to go wrong.”

“And I’m texting Fiona,” Claire said, already typing frantically to Fiona who had also begun looking around the area earlier with Margaret.

Someone knocked over a brush tray, the clatter breaking the uneasy silence in the room.

“Did she say anything about stepping out?” Ivy asked the hairstylist.

“No, ma’am. She was smiling one moment and said she needed a minute to breathe… and then just didn’t come back.”

Claire’s fingers hovered over her screen. “Should we tell Alex? What if—what if something happened? What if it’s Vaness—”

“Vanessa’s dead,” Ivy said quickly, though her voice shook. “She died last month in that inmate fight. There’s no way—”

“But what if she faked it?” Claire whispered, panic creeping into her voice. “We didn’t see her body. What if this is—”

“Stop thinking negatively and let’s search some more. She should be around here if truly she left on her own,” Ivy cut in and Claire sighed.

“Let’s search the garden then,” Claire suggested and with that, Claire and Ivy made their way downstairs and out toward the quiet garden behind the hotel where the ceremony was to take place after they’d returned from church.

There, beneath a blossoming cherry tree, stood Emma—her back to them, a vision of calm in a delicate white gown, lace sleeves hugging her arms, her veil cascading softly down her back.

Sunlight caught in her hair, and a gentle breeze lifted the hem of her dress. Ivy stood just behind her, keeping a quiet, respectful distance, momentarily forgetting all about her anger.

Immediately she snapped out of it, Claire and Ivy hurried forward, relief washing over their faces.

“Emma!” Claire called out, her voice thick with emotion. “You scared us half to death! We thought you’d run away—or worse, gotten kidnapped again!”

Emma turned slowly, her expression soft, her eyes already glistening. “Don’t be ridiculous, Claire. How can I run away from my wedding? My wedding to Alex? I could never run away from a life with Alex,” she said with a shake of her head as though just saying it meant it was happening. “Never! Not when I’ve tasted it—lived it—and found just how soul-refreshing it is being his wife. He’s my peace, Claire.”

Claire blinked back sudden tears, asking herself why she would have ever imagined that after seeing first hand just how much they both loved each other despite all they had been through.

“This past year,” Emma continued, “though it’s been stormy and full of life-threatening events, has been my best year. I’ve known love, family, acceptance… and now, here I am. Dressed in a wedding gown, with a three-weeks-old baby growing inside of me.” She placed a gentle hand on her belly, smiling fondly. “Right now, I can’t help but finally looking forward to my dreams coming true even though apparently, they have.”

She paused, her eyes drifting upward to the tree branches above them.

“A stable home. A husband who loves me. A child who plays with our dog in the garden. Peace. What more could I wish for?” she asked thinking about how drastically her marriage with Jake had changed under one year, yet, with Alex, it felt like everyday wasn’t enough for them.

“I understand you, Em. But you could’ve told someone. We were really worried about you,” Ivy said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hands clasped gently over her stomach. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just… needed a moment to appreciate just how far I’ve come from that broken girl a year ago.”

Ivy moved closer, her hand going to Emma’s shoulder in a reassuring manner.

Emma looked at them both, and her smile trembled—filled with warmth, peace, and quiet certainty.

By then, Margaret and Fiona had joined them fully. Margaret’s eyes were glassy as she reached forward to hold Emma’s hand too.

Though she still missed her son, Fiona and Liam were keeping her occupied now that they’d relocated to Zeden and she couldn’t have asked for a more better company.

She’d taken Liam as her child too and had vowed that she wouldn’t let what happened with Jake ever happen with him. That was her new mission, one keeping her from giving in to grief and helping her accept the reality in front of her.

“I’m happy you finally got your happy ending,” Margaret said softly.

Fiona nodded. “You deserve all of this, Emma. You’ve fought hard for it.”

Claire smiled, blinking back her own tears. “Alright, dream girl,” she said with a teasing lilt. “It’s time. Let’s go make this official.”

Emma chuckled and wiped her eyes. “Let’s go. My husband must be waiting for me. I don’t want him to start thinking I decided to leave him as the contract stated,” she said and they giggled as all four women walked over to the car that’d be taking them to the church where Emma would be publicly be wed with the love of her life. The one that had found her in her darkest moment.

In her happy moment, she glanced at Ivy and she hoped that somehow, today, Ivy could get her own happy ending by sharing in her joy today.